Vonage Claims Their Service Works With All DSL, IT DOESN'T!!

Posts: 656 · Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 10:01 pm Post subject:

So the facts need to be straight in order mesaman and everyone else to understand the process.

1) Vonage is not a LEC and to those who don't understand the term, just think of it as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint. Vonage only provides the IP services of the Voip while all PSTN interconnects and ownership of numbers belongs to a LEC.
2) Upon porting your number, it really does not port to Vonage as they are not a LEC. The number ports to one of Vonage's inbound partner carriers which services your market because they are the LEC.
3) When you request to port your number to Vonage, the order goes through a 3rd party LNP company that facilitates the order to port your number from your current provider to Vonage's carrier.
4) When the order is submitted to your current provider, in this case AT&T, they should flag the number upon request when DSL is found on the line. This happens even with features such as distinctive ring. This is then placed into Jeopardy Code and customer is notified that a change to the current service is needed prior to allowing the number to port.
5) Vonage is not responsible for the current provider shutting down your line as you requested your number to be ported to them and once this happened, AT&T performed the disconnect as they should.
6) At no point in time during this process does Vonage communicate with the customers phone company and or ISP.

Now from the mention of AT&T not being the ISP yet you have DSL. I assume your paying a separate entity for DSL service that was running over the AT&T phone line. In this case, AT&T still should have been aware that your number is connected to a DSLAM in their own Central Office and still should have stopped the port from occurring. But it is also possible that your paying someone else for DSL service over an AT&T leased line and AT&T was not aware that you had this feature prior to releasing your number. The result is no analog line termination at AT&T Central Office which then means no line to carry DSL. This would also be why AT&T did not convert you over to Dry Loop as you were not paying them for the DSL service in the first place.

Now the only issue I can see is that if you asked Vonage the proper question such as "I have DSL on the line I want to port, can I do this and what has to happen?" and you were provided with misinformation. This would be an issue with poor communication to customer and sales.

However, I find that the consumer research is lacking in today's market when it comes to most products they purchase. This is where all the frustration and irate behavior comes from. I see it on any forum I read or any product review I look at. While the same product can work flawless for the techies of the world who know how to make it work, the larger percentage of the planet does not have the mindset to fully understand it. Therefore it does not work and is just pure garbage in their eyes.

The majority of Vonage customers who are chronic complainers just have no idea to what they signed up for, how it works, and what expectations they should have. And that is where almost all of Vonage's bad publicity actually comes from.

With all this said, I can totally feel mesaman's pain and frustration and of course the obvious party to blame would be Vonage because AT&T is well established and could do no wrong. Well, we all know that is not true. This is just one case where it is truly not Vonage's fault

This also came from thew Vonage help section. This is assuming the the phone company is also your DSL provider. So in this case, mesaman would have fallen under number 3 or with research found out about Dry Loop.

DSL and My Number Transfer

Vonage works with all Broadband connections including cable and DSL at the same low price.

You'll love being a member of the Vonage Family.

Transferring to Vonage when you have DSL is fast. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Check to see if Vonage is available in your area. If Vonage is available, continue to step 2.
2. The following list of carriers currently offer the ability to keep your DSL service and transfer your number. Restrictions may apply.
* AT&T High Speed Internet
* Qwest High Speed Internet

* Verizon DSL
* Lightning Bolt Technologies DSL
* Speakeasy DSL
3. If your phone company is not listed, don’t despair. You can still transfer your phone number by moving your DSL service to another phone line. Just follow theses steps:
1. Order a second phone line from your current provider. Please note that you only need to order basic service (limited local and no long distance) to minimize the expense of this line.
2. Have your DSL service moved to the new phone line.

Please be sure your current provider does not cancel or disconnect your original line. Vonage cannot transfer a number that has been canceled or disconnected.

Submit the Number Transfer Authorization request with Vonage for your original line.

Posts: 293 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 293

ed56 wrote:

Mesaman,

This forum has been a place for people to get help in cofiguring their Vonage service, discussion aboout the service and relevant news about Vonage. What really drives me up a wall is that some choose to come here simply to rant about Vonage with no intention of asking for assistance from other users, their ultimate purpose appears to be to make people question whether Vonage is a good deal or more, whether the company is ethical..

Whether this was your intention or not, the statements at the end of your 1st post appeared to be just that:

YOU DON'T WANT VONAGE!!!!

YOU DON'T WANT VONAGE!!!!

YOU DON'T WANT VONAGE!!!!

Then you get upset when you are challenged about who was at fault with regard to your internet being disconnected. Rolling Eyes

Agree

Posts: 183 · Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:51 pm Post subject:

Well said...

Posts: 355 · Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 11:48 am Post subject:

VonTechMgr wrote:

The majority of Vonage customers who are chronic complainers just have no idea to what they signed up for, how it works, and what expectations they should have. And that is where almost all of Vonage's bad publicity actually comes from.

HOW TRUE!!
Before I signed up with Vonage, I did extensive research and read many forums and website dedicated to Vonage and Voip. I even read the sites that were VERRY critical of Vonage.
I am somewhat computer savvy and did not leap into Vonage blindly. When I first got Vonage, I had problems. Other callers not hearing me, dropping connection, etc. Doing further research found my ISP was the problem. It took serveral tech and almost 3 months before the problem was fixed (bad node on the line causing internet failure). AT NO TIME, did I ever blame Vonage although I could have and could have claimed that their service was crap.
Your Vonage experience is only as good as your internet connection PERIOD!!!!. Before getting Vonage, make sure that your internet connection is superb. That is the only way your Vonage will wok properly.
I get so tired of reading post blasting Vonage's service because they are so uneducated about what they are getting in to.

Posts: 293 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 293

VonTechMgr wrote:

So the facts need to be straight in order mesaman and everyone else to understand the process.

....

This is just one case where it is truly not Vonage's fault

....

Sorry buddy, There isn't a free pass for Vonage on this one either.

Posters that have been around this site do recognize and know how woeful Vonage support can be.

While I do not think the OP really had a clue about what he needed to do he was UNDER the impression that Vonage sales would help him through the process. If this was a faulty impression then staff failed to correct those impressions.

For myself, Vonage works absolutely great. Any problems have been related to the ISP. It did not work flawlessly out of the box. I've had issues with customer support. Vonage saves me money and that's where my loyalty truly runs.

For the OP, Here's the breakdown.

Vonage is a broadband based phone company. They provide a means to route calls over a broadband internet connection.

They do not provide Internet service. You need Internet service from someone. You get that yourself. You can get internet service without having a phone line. But only you can arrange that. If Vonage gave you the impression they could, well that was a communication error between the two of you. They can't

Sometimes it works wells, sometimes it doensn't. Posters of this forum are very helpful and very knowledgeable on many of the issues you could have with your connection. However this is not a Vonage site.

Posts: 293 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 293

mesaman wrote:

Vonage should have told me I would have to keep my land line. If I am to keep my land line, why in the heck would I need Vonage? Vonage doesn't have a clue. Oh yeah and Vonage cancelled my land line, not I. Vonage knew what ISP I have and what type of phone service I had and they went ahead with the order knowing it wasn't going to work after they cancelled my ATT land line. So yes, Vonage is to blame for leaving me without a phone. By the way, I'm still waiting!

Thanks trekologer and vontechmgr for your advice, your replies are the only ones that make any sense in getting my particular issue resolved. Everyone else here just wants to insult me. As I said, Vonage customer service compares to Charter!

Why didn't Vonage take care of that for me? I was told that I did not need to contact ATT and everything would be taken care of for me. I guess no one here understands why I am upset about this?

This post from earlier caught my eye.

You do not need your landline. You do need your Internet. You can get one without the other.

If Vonage gave you the impression that they would take care of the Internet then they were/are wrong. If your ISP was ATT then they might have been able to wing it. Otherwise they are left messing with accounts that only you should have access to and they can't and don't do that.

So if you are able to secure Internet from a dry DSL loop, then Vonage will work.

One thing I'm still troubled by. In your original rant you complained about how poor the service was for your friends. If you researched and realized that there were other migating factors then you should have been more informed. Otherwise, I'll just view it as a rant posted in frustration with the problems you were having.

Posts: 7 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 10, 2008 Posts: 7

My point still remains. Vonage knew what type of internet service and connection I have before I signed up. I should have been told about the "dry loop DSL line "and everything would have been just fine. Vonage should ask new customers about their connection and guide them in the right direction to avoid issues like I have had. How would I have known this? I never had Vonage before. I know now, but it is a little too late. Anyway thanks for the help and the attempted insults. I understand how Vonage works, I just was not aware of having to ask for the dry DSL and I still feel I should have been told about it. I should have been told everything it was going to take to make the service work. I may be using Vonage now and not ATT.

When I first ran into trouble, I called friends of mine who had Vonage to ask them for advice. They told me they got rid of it do to poor sound quality. If they would have know about the poor internet connection, maybe their situation would also be different. Maybe Vonage should tell their new customers about these things and it may save them some customer loss.

Posts: 229 · Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 11:43 pm Post subject:

Your point still remains, but your point still is not valid.

Even if you did tell Vonage about your Internet service, it was not Vonage's duty to ensure that your Internet service remained on. As VonTechMgr and myself pointed out, there was some sort of miscommunication between AT&T and your ISP. Vonage couldn't have known this was going to happen. All Vonage could do, and did do, was request that your telephone number be moved from AT&T to Vonage.

Vonage provides Voip service. There are too many Internet providers with too many different configurations, along with a variety of local, state and national telecommunication laws and policies for Vonage to possibly know how to deal with unless they had a local presence in those areas, which they do not. If Vonage was in the ISP business, this would be a different story.

If you still do not see that your anger should be directed at AT&T and/or your ISP, then there's nothing more that can be said.

Posts: 293 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 293

No the point has changed. The original point was something to the effect that "Vonage Claims Their Service Works With All DSL, IT DOESN'T!!" Then it moved to something about not wanting Vonage

Agreed in that I really don't see how to find Vonage shouldering the blame.

I don't see the point in any more to this thread. If they really wanted a solution there shouldn't have been the close guarding and manipulation of information as it was being released.

Sorry mesaman. I believe from your original post that you are wrong. But I apologize for what you may view from me as insults. But on certain levels, the customer is always right.

Since I'm tired of trying to outguess you, What was your point in posting here? Surely you read the Forum posting rules before you first post.